and if washington tries to cram decisions about the future... of these programs into a last minute budget deal... we'll all pay the price. aarp is fighting to protect seniors with responsible... solutions that strengthen medicare and... social security for generations to come. we can do better than a last minute deal... that would hurt all of us. bp has paid overthe people of bp twenty-threeitment to the gulf. billion dollars to help those affected and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open, and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. and bp's also committed to america. we support nearly 250,000 jobs and invest more here than anywhere else. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. our commitment has never been stronger. >> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with bill weir. >> this day marked a major escalation in the intensifying standoff in the middle east, as rockets sailed from the hamas-controlled gaza strip towards the holy city of jerusalem for the first time in 40 years. abc's christiane amanpour reports fro